Chp. 10 - Forgetting Logic
Audrey stared out the window, watching the dry landscape that was New Vulcan, and chuckling at the irate Doctor, who was ranting on the dangers of shuttles. According to Jim, who was piloting it with Spock, this was a common occurrence and it had thoroughly entertained her on the entire ride down.
The light brown sand whirled up in the air, tinged with red, making Audrey nostalgic for the Vulcan rocks. The high sun beat down harshly, making her groan inwardly at the heat she was about to endure. From what she studied about this planet was that the heat was still tolerable to Vulcans but to humans it was equivalent to the Sahara desert on Earth.
Which mean she just went from extreme cold to extreme dry heat. Thanks goodness for the doctor though, who had finally given her immunization boosters against the diseases known around this planet. Her body would be grateful for those stings later.
"From what I see, we will be meeting with the clan leader first before we meet any of the remaining scientists," Nyota, started, her hand fidgeting with the PADD. The Commander's was drawn away from her thoughts and remembered she was here, on a mission. It didn't help she hadn't seen Ambassador Sarek in years. All she could remember was her emotional downfall after hearing about her father's death.
"Who is the clan leader we are meeting with?" Audrey asked, taking the PADD handed to her. It saddened her to think that so many of the greatest scientific minds perished all at once.
"T'Pau," Uhura replied, causing the red hair Commander's head to whip around quickly. "What?"
"T'Pau, as in the grandmother of Spock, mother to Sarek?" Audrey screeched, her eyes wide. The Vulcan woman could be downright scary and extremely logical. Her last interaction with her was not the best, to say the least.
Nyota's forehead creased, re-reading the information given to her. "Oh, he is so dead," she muttered, causing Audrey to cough and try to cover up the chuckle.
"Even Vulcans can stretch the truth, dear," McCoy grumbled, grabbing his PADD and reading through the briefing.
"So not only do we have to explain to them why we had to come here in the first place, but what we need from them. Great."
Audrey nodded. "Spock may have copper based blood, but his has human genetics in it. I've already tried a few samples of his blood in what I think could be a cure, but it won't suffice. I need full Vulcan samples."
"And access to their archives, am I correct?" McCoy asked when the shuttle shuddered, causing him to jump. "Damn bucket of bolts."
Audrey laughed and shook her head. "That was just Jim turning toward the landing spot, and it just got caught in an upward draft. Nothing to be scared about," she said, patting the doctor on the knee and getting a scowl in return. "Yes I need access to what they have left. My mother could have left a clue to what she was doing when she got those samples."
"Are you saying that this has been in the works for longer than we know?" Nyota asked, her brown eyes curious.
She sighed. "Possibly. That's what I need to find out."
Before either one of them could grill her on any more information, Kirk's voice came over the intercom saying they were preparing to land. Audrey tugged at her hair, flattening any stray curls from her ponytail and took a deep breath.
Nyota finally realized that her counterpart was nervous and looked at her questioningly. "Why are you so nervous?"
Audrey stopped playing with her hair and just looked at her. "Because the last time I had contact with Vulcan was after my father's death," her breath shook but she continued. "Let's just say, I had one enormous emotional breakdown."
Nyota's mouthed formed an "O". McCoy raised an eyebrow waiting for Audrey to continue only to have Jim and Spock step into the bay. "You ready?" the Captain asked, eyeing the other three.
Audrey was the first to get up, grabbing the shawls to protect their heads and to honor the Vulcan culture. Handing one to Nyota, she secured hers over her head and braced herself for the abrasive heat.
Before she could take a step over the threshold though, a hand grabbed her arm and held her back. She could feel the uneasiness radiating from his mind and the question burning to be asked. Her brown eyes meet the electric blue ones and sighed.
"Are you okay?" Kirk asked, searching her face. Closing her eyes, she shielded her emotions carefully, hiding behind the wall that had been there since her father's death. Right now was not the time to let anyone in, let alone the Captain of the freaking Enterprise. In order to get through this meeting, her emotions had to be under control.
She breathed out slowly, opening her eyes again a small smile on her face. "I am now," she replied, nodding to the open door. "Can we go?"
Jim shook his head; shaking out of whatever reverie he had been in. "Right, time is of the essence."
Making sure her shawl was in place, Audrey stepped out in the bright sun and was faced with a sight she had never witnessed. Before her were two Spocks, one from this time and one from the future and beside them was T'Pau and Sarek.
Making sure her emotional control and shields were in place, she stepped forward with the rest of the delegation that here to help her out. Standing straight, she looked straight at the Vulcans before her.
The older Spock almost appeared shocked to see her, but carefully schooled his face into blankness. Sarek's face also showed no emotions but Audrey could feel the hint of sorrow, understanding what her and her mother had gone through all those years ago.
She held her hand up in the ta'a. "Dif-tor heh smusma."
T'Pau nodded his acknowledgement, the other two relaying the same message. "It is a pleasure to see you again, Commander. How can the Vulcan colony assist the Enterprise?"
"I come with a grave message, T'Pau," Audrey said, stepping forward. "My mother has been kidnapped, along with Captain Kirk's brother by a man named Kodos."
If the older Spock had known the name, his stance didn't change one bit. It was Ambassador Sarek who spoke next. "How can the Vulcans assist in that endeavor?" he asked, an eyebrow rising up.
Audrey didn't flinch. "Along with my mother, a deadly virus disappeared with her."
The sand blew up into her face, making her squint at the stoic being in front of her. She knew this was going to be difficult but she had hoped they might move inside before she had to explain all this. "I am enlisting the help of the small Vulcan Science Academy to help me derive and complete a vaccine for this virus."
"Why is it you cannot complete this onboard the Enterprise Commander?" the matriarch asked, causing Audrey to sigh.
"Unfortunately, even with the bright minds of myself, Doctor McCoy and Commander Spock, we cannot make the vaccine without Vulcan blood," she said, wiping the line of sweat that started on her brow.
Before anyone could reply, Jim spoke up. "I'm sure as much as you would enjoy questioning Commander Pearce now, I would suggest moving to a more…cooler place before one of us collapses from heat exhaustion."
Audrey bit her lip in an attempt to stifle the chuckle that wanted to come out. Leave it to Jim to state the obvious, and she was actually quite grateful for his outspokenness.
"I apologize Captain. We did not realize how abrasive this planet can be for the human race," Sarek said, turning on his heel in the direction of the colony. "Follow us, we will lead you to your quarters for the time being."
Audrey turned to see McCoy mouth thank you and sighed, knowing this was going to be a long day.
_
Jim had never been to Vulcan other than the entire fiasco on the drill. As it was he was unprepared for the harsh climate of this very planet. Sometimes he wondered how what remained of the Vulcans could stand it.
Following the three Vulcans that had greeted the landing party, his thoughts wandered to what the Commander had planned. His brother was in the hands of a madman, someone that had tried to kill both Kirk brothers numerous times.
The Captain also suspected it weighed heavily on the red head, only because he could feel at the edge of his mind the tumultuous emotions of her psyche. The slight look the elder Spock gave him said everything.
"I do hope these green blooded hobgoblins will help us," McCoy muttered, walking in step with him. "I hope they realize this is a real threat."
Jim turned his head to his best friend and rolled his eyes. "Let them hear the Commander out, Bones. I'm sure the Ambassadors will see the light."
Another gust of sand hit them in the faces and McCoy growled. "And soon, I hope. As much as I hate shuttle rides, the quicker we get off this god forsaken planet, the happier I'll be."
The blonde stifled a chuckle. "The only way you'll be happy Bones is with bourbon in your hands and not having me in sickbay." He looked around. "And right now only one is true."
Audrey looked back at him and smirked. "Way to make the doctor happy, Captain. Now I'm going to have to listen to him complain the entire time."
Jim couldn't contain his chuckle. "You know despite being on this ship only few days, Commander, you seem to have Bones' traits down pat."
He couldn't help but feel his heart warm at her sincere smile. "It also helps that I saw him a couple of times at Fleet Medical while I was at the Academy. He was just as grumpy then."
Bones huffed, and shoved Kirk with his shoulder. "Will you two stop gossiping about me and focus on the task at hand?" he growled, watching as they neared the towering structure before them.
The crew entered an antechamber that was filled with soothing fountain and air conditioning. Jim breathed a sigh of relief and stopped taking in the beauty around them.
"The Vulcan Colony has tried to the best of their abilities to recreate what Vulcan represented," Nyota said, her voice of awe. "From what Spock has said, this is almost a carbon copy of what the science academy had on Vulcan."
"You mean they liked water?" Bones asked, shaking his hair of the sand that had settled into it.
Nyota glared at the doctor. "They still do." Her look dared the doctor to retort and thank goodness he didn't.
Spock was busy conversing with his father and grandmother, while Audrey stood there, mouth agape. "I think you better close your mouth, Commander," Jim said, startling her. "Or something is bound to fly in there."
Before Audrey could reply, Spock interrupted him. "There are no insects here in the chamber, Captain," he calmly replied. "The Ambassadors and my grandmother wish an audience with us."
"They wish?" McCoy asked, an eyebrow shooting up.
Audrey turned back and shook her head in amusement. "They want."
Jim nodded to Spock, who returned to the three Vulcans gathered. Beyond them was a hand carved wooden door, intricate in patterns he did not recognize. It made him wonder if they were meeting with just the three of them or the High Council also.
His First Officer seemed to have the answers he sought. "It is imperative that we get my grandmother on our side. She is…"
"What, against the fact we have asked the Vulcans for help?" the doctor interrupted.
"Abstaining from any decision. She wishes to hear us out, but I cannot promise we will see the High Council today," Spock replied, glancing at the anxious face of Audrey. "They will forever remember what happened nine years ago, Commander. You must remember to control your emotions."
She nodded curtly. "I will endeavor to try."
Spock acknowledged her reply minutely. "That is all that I ask," he replied, his human eyes softening. "Old friend."
Jim's head shot up from his vantage point on the ground. Old friend? The two knew each other before this? He made a mental note to ask one of them once they were in private. This was something he had to hear.
"Then let's go. The quicker we can get an answer, the quicker we can get a cure and figure out where Kodos is," the Commander replied, walking briskly toward the now open door. Following in her footsteps, the Captain noticed the elder Spock, Ambassador Sarek and T'Pau seated in high backed chairs at the end of the room.
Taking a stance a few feet away from where Audrey stood, Jim noticed the recognition in both of the Vulcan's eyes and another note of nostalgia in Selek's eyes. He saw her shoulders straighten and blow out the breath she had been holding.
Whatever had happened in the past, Audrey was nervous. Her voice startled him out of his thoughts. "As I told you before, I come here with news of a great threat," she said, her voice steadily growing stronger. "Ten months ago, my mother disappeared from Starfleet's scopes and with her, a deadly virus she had created. High Command and the Federation believed she went rogue and killed her entire lab."
The Vulcan's face betrayed no emotion as she continued. "Being pulled from the Academy I was sent on a mission to find my mother. It wasn't until I was on Delta Vega that I had finally received a lead. It was then that I was attacked by both Romulans and Klingons. It was then that I called up the Enterprise for help."
The Elder Spock's face did not change, but his eyebrow shot up at the mention of the Romulans and Klingons. "It was then we realized that my mother had the virus she created in her possession."
Jim could see Audrey was trying to control her emotions and saw her wringing her hands. "A few hours later after I debriefed the command crew I received word from Admiral Pike that Captain Kirk's brother had been taken as leverage against us." She drew a deep breath. "Along with my mother."
That almost got a reaction out of the three Vulcans, who only stared at Audrey, so she continued. "I decrypted my data and analyzed the virus my mother created from her files."
The three at front remained quiet, probably analyzing every bit Audrey had to say. "The more Doctor McCoy, Spock and myself analyzed it, the more we realized how dangerous this virus was not only to the Terran race but also Vulcans."
Sarek was the first to speak, interrupting Audrey's monologue. "Please describe the virus your mother created."
The red head leaned her head back and took another deep breath. At the edges of his mind, Jim could feel agitation and nervousness, and realized he was feeling what Audrey felt. It absolutely fascinated him. "My mother created a virus that took away the violence, the ambition within our minds. With this virus she hoped to make a peaceful galaxy but unfortunately with the combination of the small pox virus, the thought backfired. Instead of creating peacefulness, beings would become enraged to a point of insanity. This increases their adrenaline in their systems and causes to see everyone as a threat. This strength allows them to kill with no remorse."
Jim's hand shook at the anger inside him. "As this is going on the small pox accelerates at a rate I have never seen, and therefore in this insane rage, kills the internal organs and causes them to bleed out."
T'Pau sat stoically before speaking. "How does this relate to the Vulcan race, Commander?"
She sighed heavily, and Jim noticed a resignation in the back of his mind. "My mother used Vulcan blood in the creation of this virus."
The chamber resonated in the silence it held. The Captain could tell everyone around him were holding their breaths and let it out when T'Pau spoke. "I am afraid we cannot help you further, Commander, Captain Kirk."
Jim was about to step forward and give her a piece of his mind when Bones held him back, nodding to the Commander who had already taken a few steps forward. "Let me remind you that this virus is a real threat to the Federation. I just saw three ships full of Cardissian die a painful death because Kodos, you know the mass murderer, decided to unleash the untested version of the virus!" Her voice was starting to rise an octave. "You cannot stay away from this, and you know it."
"I cannot see how the Vulcans can assist you, Commander," the clan mother answered, looking to the two other men for affirmation but for once they remained stoic.
Audrey finally had enough and he could feel it. "I will do whatever I deem necessary to get my mother back," her voice razor sharp. Jim had recognized the determination of a woman on a mission anywhere and if he guessed right, Audrey would get what she wanted.
"I see," T'Pau paused before continuing. "Your mother is a gifted scientist, Commander Pearce, one of the select few allowed to work with the Vulcan Science Academy. Logically, I cannot allow what remains of the Academy to assist you in your endeavor."
Audrey threw her arms in the air frustrated, not taking Spock's suggestion into consideration. Jim had a feeling they had a long way to go to convince the clan leader this was vital to their mission. "Logically? Forget logic for once, T'Pau. Not only does this virus pose a threat to the human race but yours also. Or did you forget that my mother used Vulcan blood to create it? So no matter what, this poses a threat to your already diminished rate."
Audrey stood there, her breath ragged. Jim could almost feel the sadness and frustration envelope him when she turned and stalked through the door. He couldn't even stop her in time before T'Pau spoke.
"Must she act like a petulant child?" she asked, her eyes following in the angry Commander's wake.
It was the elder Spock who spoke. "Her anger and frustration is understandable. With your permission, I would like to follow the Commander and speak to her myself."
T'Pau nodded. "Also inform Commander Pearce to meditate and form her shields if she wishes to confront a powerful empath like Kodos. I will trust in you to ensure that, Selek?"
The older Vulcan looked at Sarek when Spock spoke up. "My father and I will also work with the Commander on her shields, Grandmother. But until she calms down, I suggest Selek be the one to initiate any conversation."
The elder Vulcan woman stared at her grandson. "Then so be it. Tell the Commander we will reconvene in the morning and will overlook her outburst today." She stopped for a moment when the alternate Spock reached the door. "Also inform her we will assist in locating her mother. We now know what it is like to lose those we are bonded to."
As Selek left, Jim could only wonder what exactly T'Pau meant by losing those they were bonded to. It made him wonder if Audrey had lost more than her father and what that meant for them.
_